Finding love when not knowing how or who
by Flareose - Knifepoint Entry
Summary: Naruto's goal is actually quite different then from what it used to be when he was younger. Could have been from the voice in his head who looked like a chibi, or it could have been from wanting to find a companion, either way he was ready to try. No one said however finding a companion in the shinobi world would be easy.


**Finding love when not knowing how or who**

**Chapter one: A thinking Naruto is a strange Naruto**

* * *

**_Friday_**

**_5/12. Twelve-fourteen p.m; Heading towards Ichiraku Ramen_**

Concerning who exactly he was dealing with he should have expected something like this to happen. It was the last day of school, two days off for the students to relax, to chat with one another, and to hopefully study for that surprise pop-quiz on Monday that he had set up in hopes that they could pass the graduation exam that was coming up soon.

But did that matter to that one blonde haired student of his who he chased down all over this village for the past hour, who also already failed said graduation exam three times making the boy older than the rest of the students and a laughing stock to boot in his classroom?

No…

No it didn't.

He should have expected something like this honestly, but he supposed he had just been staring at a little silver-lining that wasn't there to begin with.

He had believed - after finding it strange at first - that the boy matured in that strange way of his when he found the pranks he pulled stopping little by little, believed that after finding him sitting at the ready in his seat and from somewhat - key word being _somewhat _- having an attention span for the lessons he taught to the class before he called it quits and jumped out of a four story window and walked away, as being a good sign that he was changing, that he was maturing in that strange way of his.

Never mind that during his period of that weird maturing of his he begin to act strange, weird in the since of only he could do of only he could be. From complaining about headaches to falling asleep in class for long periods of time to giving the Uchiha Sasuke weird looks every now and again, but maturing none the less.

It was understandable in a since of why the boy wasn't in class right now, of course… Since from then to now he never did like his lessons when they dealt on history, and since Fridays and Wednesdays dealt with history he wasn't - if not jumping out the window when finding it boring - there most of the time.

Naruto didn't like history, that was a fact.

So why was it earlier that day during attendance he found himself crying? The students giving him looks of pity as he fell to his knees, hands covering his eyes as he expected - _wanted _- the boy to be in class that day and show that he could sit down during one history lesson and ask questions just like any other student of his? Wanting to see just for a second that bright boy he knew he could be even if it was just for one day. It was possible because the boy was smart in his own weird way, being one of the fastest in classes, outrunning shinobi such as himself, thinking of traps that if you would replace the stuff from the cutesy with deadly weapons he could have killed them over numerous times.

Sometimes he had to wonder...

Did he not try his best as their teacher and sometimes friend? As he sometimes in a shinobi like fashion would transform into a younger self of himself from his academy days and in a not so shinobi like fashion follow them around as he studied from them and saw how they really were so he could better prepare his lessons from the knowledge he gained from them.

It wasn't easy.

It never was when it dealt with his job but it wasn't easy all the same.

Did you know the pain of sitting down in front of water for a good two hours on a bridge and watch as one of your student's just sits there gazing off into the sunset all the while sometimes mumbling things to himself before occasionally jumping in the water with an angry snarl on his face? Regardless of the fact not two minutes ago you guys had been talking - regardless if it was more one-sided or not - about said student's future in a shinobi like way of course, but future none the less?

No…

No you didn't.

Did you know the pain of transforming into a female version of your academy self while giving your name a spin to Irune and then holding a breath or two as you bravely walked into an all-female manga club only to afterwards poof into your adult form when you saw what they were reading?!

No…

No you didn't.

He didn't know how to feel about that day. Mostly because the girls there didn't seem the least bit surprised and the leader - who was cosplaying as a female Madara at the time - even gave him a manga anyways even after finding out, for participating and said a simple; _Thank you._

He shivered just thinking about it as he walked along Konoha's main road leading to Ichiraku.

It was lunch time now. Yep, he had spent most of his lunch time looking for that blonde haired student of his. If there was anything good about this day it was that Naruto didn't do anything. No painting the Hokage Monument, no turning loose the Inuzuka pups into the village, no turning Anbu insane and randomly attacking that one adviser of the Hokage's who looked like a mummy, and no bit of mischief or a foul plan smelling in the air to be found.

About the only bad thing that happened today was him having a nervous breakdown from early, realizing he had to go hunt down the Uzumaki and take the usual chain to tie the boy up… And yes, yes he did upgrade after one day finding the boy broke out of the usual rope with strength he didn't know he had. Showing that once again, if he just applied himself he could be one of the strongest in class maybe even better than his so stated somewhere in that head of his rival.

But that was all to be expected. It was always to be expected.

…

A tear fell out of his eye from thinking about his break down, him secretly wondering if this job was worth the trouble if it was going to take what little sanity he had left as a shinobi. _Keep it together Iruka, your students… All of them need you. _Wiping away his tear he smiled slightly as he saw the small ramen stand come into view.

O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O

**_Friday_**

**_5/12. Twelve-eighteen p.m; Ichiraku Ramen_**

…

Another tear fell out of his eye. _Why… _Iruka thought. Whatever little happiness he had was gone, just gone. Replaced by annoyance at who he saw sitting down there.

"Welcome," from hearing Teuchi greet a new customer the blonde boy turned his innocent eyes to whoever it was.

"Yo Iruka-sensei, how was the class?" the blonde boy who he just spent the past hour trying to find said, as he didn't proceed wipe that goofy grin from his face like he wanted so bad for the boy to do right now because if not he would start screaming, screaming that would make his chakra flare dangerously in where the Anbu would have to put him behind bars for as that would cause the civilians to start panicking, which would do nothing to the boy as he would still continue to grin that goofy grin of his.

"You mean the class you were supposed to be in from the beginning?" he mumbled as he sat down on a stool a ways from the boy just to show him how ticked off he was right now. "That class right?"

The boy faked a pain to his chest, "you wound me good sir." Iruka just stared at him, making the blonde cough a bit. "S-sorry… I was doing something and well let's just say I lost my way on the road of life for a bit." the boy said sheepishly, only making the older man close his eyes tightly as he pinch the bridge of his nose, a certain Uchiha boy coming into mind followed by a perverted grey haired shinobi.

"How can I help you?" seeing those smiling faces of Teuchi and Ayame did nothing about how ticked off he was right now.

"A large serving of shoyo ramen with roasted pork fillet, menma, pickled plum with ginger. Lots of ginger please," he mumbled while soon afterwards hearing an expected whistle from Teuchi and a giggle from Ayame as what he ordered was quite expensive, however his soon to be near empty wallet couldn't care any less at the moment.

"So Naruto, pry tell what this road of life was for you?" the boy had to blink for a second as his eyes had been wide just a second ago.

"Well it was strange for starters," the boy said as he turned back to his own ramen.

Head resting on hand he stared at the boy. "Really now?"

"Yeah." the boy turned his eyes towards his sensei when he found him still staring at him with that unblinking gaze.

"…"

"I started thinking about a couple of things."

"…"

"And then afterwards," the boy paused to inhale some ramen. "I came to a conclusion."

"Really now?"

"Yeah."

"Here's your ramen," Teuchi said happily as he set down his ramen followed by a glass of water.

"Thank you." Iruka replied politely, minus the fact that he and his student were still having a strange stare down right now. "Well…" Iruka sighed as he went to break two chop sticks to start eating. "I wouldn't mind knowing what that road of life was all about," he stopped a second to slurp a couple of noodles. "You missed half of class for that road sure hope it was worth it."

"Actually…" the boy thought as his face turned to one of confusion, "it was more like a tunnel now that I think of it."

"Well…" Iruka paused once again to slurp some noodles. "You missed half of that class for that tunnel hope you saw the train and ran away to face school again."

"Not that kinda tunnel sensei," Naruto said as he halfheartedly glared at him. "It was different."

"How different exactly can an echoing tunnel be…?"

"That train that I saw was different I mean," the boy grumbled which only made Iruka snicker in response.

"And by that you mean… What exactly," he asked playfully as he slurped his noodles.

"It was a love train, a certain type of love train that I didn't mind getting hit with."

…

Suddenly the older man was coughing, coughing and stuttering out words he didn't even know himself.

"I mean… It was strange at first." the boy must have not heard his sensei choking over a little a ways from him. "I had a dream about this guy," he must have not saw the questioning look his sensei was throwing his way as he continued to violently cough.

"This guy who was a chibi, just… Just a chibi who looked up at me with his chibi eyes," hell the chiefs of this place weren't doing anything about their customer coughing up a lung right now. "And I looked down at him, and then noticed," the boy then squinted his eyes some, looking at something in the distance of this small ramen stand.

Noticing he was being quite the boy turned an apologetic smile Iruka's way, "Sorry about that, it's a little bit of a habit of mine's now."

_Oh… You know don't mind me. _Iruka thought as he reached for the glass of water that he just now noticed was right next to him, soon afterwards taking gulps to relieve his throat that was burning.

"Anyways, I noticed something. That he oddly reminded me of an Uchiha I met in the past," Iruka lifted a questioning eyebrow at that. "He looked like Shisui." he didn't mean to take that much water into his mouth! "At least from what little I saw of the man until his unexpected suicide that was," the boy said as an afterthought.

Now his coughing fit continued a bit more until his nose started to burn, making tears well up at his eyes. "That was the first thought that came and went, but then he said something to me, looking up with those innocent dots for eyes of his." now the two chiefs did decide to see what was going on as they turned their eyes and looked at the boy funnily. There was also one random shinobi that he didn't see up until now who looked at the boy funnily too, and that one random Anbu who he also didn't see that was dressed strangely looked at the boy, even taking off his animal mask while he was at it…

Making his amber hair fall down, as Iruka realized then and there when he stared at him with widen eyes that…

_FU! _he thought as he looked at the slightly young look of his old student's face.

"And then he said; I'm lonely…" the boy role-played for them from how they met, making Iruka's eyes redirect towards him in an instant. "And then I was like," the boy took a pause as he took his own water gulping it down straight to the head as if it were some kinda alcohol.

"Yeah I know what you mean. And then he said to me; this is getting pretty damn ridiculous. You're fifteen. We need precious. And you're still in the academy. You need to work harder damn it." minus the fact that this was a stool he was sitting on Iruka did his damnest then to move as far away as he could from his now slightly crazed looking student.

"And I was like, yeah, you're so right. So then, I was like I'll get to it then." he nodded to the occupants in the room - but didn't realize their faces might as well have been made out of stone right now - and continued his little story. "Now I'm searching for love and I will find it. I will have it. I have to, there's someone in my head that's lonely so I'll do my best to make him happy and have his desire filled."

…

Utter silence.

Naruto was looking at that something like before that wasn't really there right now…

But utter silence none the less.

In the beginning of his mind, that little goggle wearing Uchiha had kicked that grey haired pervert of a man out of the way, but then as the boy's story started getting fairly strange, to say the least. It now had a horror stricken face, bat in hand as it moved back against an invisible enemy before tripping over its own feet, then whimpering as it curled into pitiful a ball.

But utter silence still held the floor.

"Well," he had to be brave he kept telling himself. "That's interesting." he just had to be a little brave, never mind the fact the blonde turned his eyes to look at his now, making him want to flinch, but he wouldn't.

He wanted to but he wouldn't.

If the blonde said his mind turned into that of a chibi then so be it, it was just how it was. It didn't matter that the boy's eyes were turning a darker shade of blue right now or that so much so, that they… That they turned into a hazel brown.

He was this boy's student.

He was this boy's sensei…

Yes, he was this boy's sensei.

"That's," he tried to think of the perfect word for that. "Interesting Naruto."

He had to think of something right now to say.

Something…

Anything.

"It's time for class however." there, that was a good beginning. "Lunch is over," the boy just kept staring with his unblinking gaze which made him want to get out of here right now, as fast as his legs could take him. At least as far as the border of Fire country and then maybe a little after just for kicks as well, as he was known to be a good runner since his younger days. "So," grabbing the rope that was hooked to his back, he didn't turn his eyes away from the boy's because he couldn't right now, having the strangest feeling those eyes were hypnotizing him right now. "You missed class, let's go."

The boy blinked ever so slowly before nodding his head, "okay."

Getting off the stool he gave the boy a nod of approval. He would have said goodbye to that old student of his who somehow someway made it to Anbu even without graduating but to his slight horror as goose-bumps rose on his skin, found that he wasn't there anymore.

…

Maybe he wasn't there to begin with. Maybe it was just a hallucination. "Well…" he was going to ignore those goose-bumps on his arms right now. "Thank you for the food," he said as he gave Ayame and Teuchi a smile - which looked like grimace if anything else - as he tied the last of the chains on Naruto, paid for the both them, and led him out of the place he probably wouldn't visit for the next three weeks at best.

* * *

**_Friday_**

**_5/12. One-twenty two p.m: Academy_**

"Sensei…?" it was probably from hearing Sasuke's strange voice that made Iruka blink, looking around frantically before he looked at the boy's in front of him.

"Huh?" he blinked once more before rubbing his face, seeing that all of his students were lined up and at the ready. "Oh uh," it took him a moment to realize that they were all here because he got Naruto back into the classroom, meaning that he made them line up front and center to review a technique they learned in class. "Good job Uchiha Sasuke." the boy nodded before making his way back to his assigned row.

"Next up is…" he mentally groaned. "Uzumaki Naruto."

"Damn it Naruto, why do we always have to pay for your screw-ups?" Ino mumbled from the right side of him.

"Why are you always so troublesome Naruto?" Shikamaru asked to his left before covering up a yawn.

"Sorry you guys, I didn't mean to." Naruto mumbled, making the two of them look at him strangely. "If it makes you feel any better I don't want to be here either. Just want to find love now." mouths slightly open and confusion in eyes they didn't say anymore as Naruto made his way up.

"…"

"…"

_What was I testing them on again… _Iruka thought in slight worry.

"Henge, Iruka-sensei." Naruto spoke in a quite tone of voice.

_What the… _Iruka blinked once, then twice, and finally three times before giving the boy a funny look. "Okay… Show me your best then."

Naruto nodded as he used the Ram seal to gather up chakra afterwards it forming a ball of bright blue around him until slashing around in a twist of wind before making an outline of his figure, his hair flowing slightly by the breeze.

"Just how much chakra does that guy have?" Kiba asked silently while others around him agreed in slight amazement, as they too stared with widen eyes at the endless amount Naruto seemed to have.

Slightly moving his hands away he begin to use the required hand seals for the technique; Dog, Boar and last he moved his hands to the Ram seal once again.

**_Henge!_**

…

_I don't… I… _his mind was getting fuzzy right now. That person who he was staring at did look like… And were his students saying anything? Their mouths were moving but, sound, where were their vocal cords exactly? Where was his eyesight?

Oh…

Was he collapsing right now?

_I really don't get paid enough for this shit, _was his last thought.

* * *

**_Tuesday_**

**_8/24. Three-twenty four p.m; Hokage's office _**

"So in the beginning I couldn't really think of a smile, ya know? A smile that would send the message of exactly how flawless I was when it came to my strengths and how I have little weaknesses from training a lot, but then I thought," the boy rubbed his head a little when finding it pounding suddenly.

"The voice in my head thought that was, that hey, why not add a nicely cut red rose to that smile of your's? That way you can look as charming as could be while having that determined shine, like a proper genin on the road to becoming chūnin. So there I was in that little garden of mine's saying a quick sorry as I plucked the rose of my choice, came back here, and then done!"

Hiruzen slightly lowered the shinobi registration form to look at the boy and that proud grin on his face. He signed, lit his pipe taking a small puff, before looking back at the picture. _Well… He made it Minato and Kushina. But I'm…_

In the picture the boy's hair was slicked back with red gel making it look gradually at the top a peachy orange and peachy red the further down, he wore a black polo that was slightly open, white and grayed toned camouflage pants that were tucked over long heeled boots. With dark shaded glasses over his eyes and rose in mouth, his right hand was on his hip as he grinned at the camera.

_Not sure this is what you had in mind._

"Well," Naruto said a bit impatiently as he shifted in his seat. "What do you think?"

"Take it again." was the instant answer.

"Can't do that sir." was the instant answer.

Hiruzen frowned at Naruto, and Naruto smiled at Hiruzen. "I think it's perfect. Fits me just well, so I'll keep that."

"Take it again."

"I'm sorry sir," he chuckled. "But that's not going to happen."

"Then why ask?" he lifted an eyebrow.

"I thought I'd ask a friend." was his answer.

"Well a concerned friend thinks you should take it again." he slightly knitted his brows.

"Your word is only as good as I say it is, and trust me, right now it isn't much _friend._" then Naruto frowned.

"…"

"…"

"That was a bit harsh." Hiruzen mumbled before looking at the photo again with a bored look. "How are you going to answer when that dream of your's comes true I wonder…"

"What dream?" Naruto asked as that smile returned to his face.

"… Hokage and all."

"Oh, that dream…" the boy's face scrunched up a little from thinking about it. "That was when I was six years old, I hope you realize that."

"Yes, yes I do," the Hokage signed from suddenly feeling old.

"Still nice that you know I'm strong however, as I am you know." he resisted the urge to role his eyes. "Why not give it to someone who loves this village and cares for it?"

He suddenly gave the boy a weird look, "you do…"

"Well I know I do," the blonde said, pointing to himself with a smirk. "But I mean someone else, there are others you know."

"If you're suggesting I give it to Danzo…"

"You've finally gone senile I see," Naruto said with a frown.

"Then who were you going to suggest?" the old man asked with a lifted eyebrow.

Naruto just crossed his arms over his chest, shrugging slightly. "Doesn't matter anymore."

"Hm…"

"I'm still not changing that photo." he mumbled after a few minutes.

"… Of course you're not." setting down the photo he looked at the boy and smiled. "Well, now that it's all done and said, I would like to welcome you genin Uzumaki Naruto."

"Thank you very much sir, I look forward to surpassing you and never looking back."

"… You're being really impish today…"

"That I am sir."

* * *

**So... This story came from asking myself. What would happen if Naruto had a different goal in mind besides becoming Hokage? And then I though, why not make it about love, and heck, throw in Ashura. As I wanted to know what Ashura would do in a point of time where the boy would be stuck in the academy at an age older than everyone else. See if he'd try to communicate with him. **

**The whole chibi Ashura thing just came from a picture by the way, and wondering what does Minato, Kushina, Kyuubi - if he had a human form - Ashura and anyone else in that head of the blonde's would look like. Of course from the anime/manga I already seen what Minato and Kushina looked like, but... I don't know, wanted to make it more cute looking. Don't know if Minato or Kushina is going to be in this story, but we'll see.**

**...**

**Hm, I guess I did randomly add Fu into one scene, but I kinda wanted to expand upon his background story a bit. For those of you who do not watch the filler episodes, and heck, can't blame you there. Fu and Torune both had an episode dedicated to them. Well it was more Shino, but dang it it had the both of them in it. **

**It showed that they were actually near the same age as Naruto, so I was like, I wanna add this guy and Torune to my fic. So yeah, they'll be in later chapters, probably and comedy relief or something.**


End file.
